10 cities where the new Powerball winners could start a real-estate empire

Trulia
Are you one of the three — and maybe more — winners of Wednesday's $1.5 billion Powerball lottery?

Are you eager to become a real-estate mogul?

Look no further. Real-estate listing site Trulia has found the US cities where you can make the biggest splash with your newfound cash, looking at the percentage of total housing inventory you could now buy out. They considered factors like the size of the market, median listing price, and home availability.

But if you want to become the next big name in New York City properties, you might want to think again. Even as a billionaire, you'll only be able to snag 9% of available properties in the Big Apple, or 16% on Long Island, as homes are pricey and inventory is flush. Miami and Los Angeles also won't give you much bang for your buck. Instead, you'll want to start your empire somewhere smaller with more reasonable prices.

Assuming the winner takes the $600 million lump sum — after taxes — here are your best bets:

10. You could start your empire in Syracuse, New York. Home to a well-known university and only a four-hour drive from Manhattan, your $600 million will take you far. You can snag 90% of the homes currently listed on the market with Trulia at a median price of $119,900 each.

9. If cold winters aren't your thing, head down south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where you could also buy out 90% of the properties at a median price of $160,000.

8. Bakersfield, California, is less than two hours from the urban hub of Los Angeles, and homes have a median listing price of $159,000. Typical homes are fairly new and large, like this three-bedroom in a gated community.

7. Perhaps Greensboro, North Carolina, should be the place you call home. Houses here have a median listing price of $148,490, and you could be the happy owner of 92% of for-sale properties.

6. Ohio has a lot to offer for beginner real-estate moguls. In Dayton, where the median listing price is $100,000, your lottery cash could bring you 96% of the properties on the market, like this classic brick three-bedroom.

4. If you're set on the West Coast, then consider Fresno, California, where you could buy out 99% of the listed homes at a median price of $243,000.

3. Head east and check out the town of Rochester, New York, where prices are in the $119,000 range and you could buy 99% of the available properties with your winnings.

2. In Wichita, Kansas, you'd be able to buy up a full 100% of Trulia's for-sale homes, effectively owning the market. Here's a quaint red-brick three-bedroom that's similar to what you'll find for the area's median listing price of $114,900.

1. Finally, in Toledo, Ohio, you could snap up 100% of the homes currently available. With a seriously affordable median-house price of $109,900, you'd be looking at many homes like this five-bedroom 1907 property.